1 Tendo Davi acabado de falar com Saul, a alma de Jônatas apegou-se à alma de Davi, e Jônatas começou a amá-lo como a si mesmo.

2 Naquele mesmo dia Saul o reteve em sua casa e não o deixou voltar para a casa de seu pai.

3 Jônatas fez um pacto com Davi, que ele amava como a si mesmo.

4 Tirou o seu manto, deu-o a Davi, bem como a sua armadura, sua espada, seu arco e seu cinto.

5 Saul incumbiu Davi de diversas missões, e todas foram muito frutuosas. Colocou-o à frente dos seus guerreiros, e ele ganhou a simpatia de todo o povo, inclusive dos servos do rei.

6 Voltando o exército, depois de Davi ter matado o filisteu, de todas as cidades de Israel saíam as mulheres ao encontro do rei Saul, cantando e dançando alegremente, ao som de tamborins e címbalos.

7 E enquanto dançavam, diziam umas às outras: Saul matou seus milhares, e Davi seus dez milhares.

8 Saul irritou-se em extremo, e desagradou-lhe tal coisa. Dão dez mil a Davi, disse ele, e a mim apenas mil! Só lhe falta a coroa!

9 E a partir daquele dia, Saul olhou Davi com maus olhos.

10 No dia seguinte, apoderou-se dele o mau espírito de Deus, e teve um acesso de delírio em sua casa. Como nos outros dias, Davi pôs-se a tocar a cítara.

11 Saul, que tinha uma lança na mão, arremessou-a contra Davi, dizendo: Vou cravá-lo na parede! Mas Davi se desviou do golpe por duas vezes.

12 Saul temia Davi, porque o Senhor estava com o jovem, e tinha-se retirado dele.

13 Afastou-o então de si, estabelecendo-o chefe de mil homens, à frente dos quais Davi empreendia as suas expedições.

14 Saía-se bem em todas as suas empresas, porque o Senhor estava com ele.

15 Saul, vendo-o tão engenhoso, teve medo dele.

16 Mas todos em Israel e Judá o amavam, porque ele entrava e saía diante deles.

17 Saul disse a Davi: Eis minha filha mais velha, Merab, que eu te darei por mulher, contanto que sejas valoroso e combatas nas guerras do Senhor. Saul pensava: Não é bom que o fira a minha mão, mas antes a dos filisteus.

18 Davi respondeu: Quem sou eu? E o que é a minha vida ou a família de meu pai em Israel, para que me torne genro do rei?

19 Ora, tendo chegado o tempo em que Merab, filha de Saul, devia ser dada a Davi, deram-na em casamento a Hadriel, o molatita.

20 Ora, Micol, filha de Saul, amava Davi. E contaram-no a Saul, que se alegrou com isso.

21 Vou dar-lhe Micol, pensava Saul, para que ela lhe seja uma armadilha, e ele caia na mão dos filisteus. Saul disse, pois, a Davi pela segunda vez: Agora vais tornar-te meu genro.

22 E ordenou aos seus servos que dissessem em segredo a Davi: O rei afeiçoou-se a ti e todos os seus servos te amam. Torna-te genro do rei.

23 Os servos de Saul repetiram essas palavras aos ouvidos de Davi, mas este respondeu: Parece-vos pouca coisa ser genro do rei? Eu sou pobre e de condição humilde.

24 Os servos de Saul referiram-lhe as palavras de Davi.

25 Dir-lhe-eis, respondeu Saul, que o rei só pede como dote cem prepúcios de filisteus, para vingar-se dos seus inimigos. Seu desígnio era entregar Davi nas mãos dos filisteus.

26 Transmitiram os servos a Davi essa mensagem, o qual se agradou da proposta de tornar-se genro do rei.

27 Antes que expirasse o termo fixado, Davi partiu com seus homens; matou duzentos filisteus e trouxe os seus prepúcios, entregando-os integralmente ao rei, para se tornar seu genro. Saul deu-lhe por mulher sua filha Micol.

28 Ele compreendeu que o Senhor estava com Davi. Sua filha Micol o amava.

29 O rei sentiu com isso redobrar o seu medo. Durante todo o resto de sua vida ele detestou Davi.

30 Cada vez que os chefes dos filisteus faziam incursões, Davi era mais bem-sucedido que todos os homens de Saul, o que deu ao seu nome grande fama.

1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family.

3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well.

6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.

7 As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?"

9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

10 The next day an evil "spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand

11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.

12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.

13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.

14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.

15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.

16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

17 Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

18 But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

19 So "when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

20 Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.

21 "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.'"

23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

24 When Saul's servants told him what David had said,

25 Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'" Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

27 David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,

29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.